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ENGLEWOOD, COLO. (AP) — Brian Dawkins is being held out of the Denver Broncos’ practice because of a neck injury that has bothered him for most of the month.

Fellow starting safety Quinton Carter (lower back) and nickel cornerback Chris Harris (neck), who leads all rookie DBs with 62

tackles, are both participating in the team’s final full-padded practice after leaving last weekend’s loss at Buffalo with those injuries.

The Broncos are hoping for a healthy secondary to face former teammate Kyle Orton, who brings the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) to town Sunday with a chance to beat the team that benched him in favor of Tim Tebow.

Orton can exact some revenge on the Broncos (8-7) by denying them their first playoff berth since 2005, when they last won the AFC West.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Oakland Raiders’ fans everywhere are patiently, or impatiently, waiting for New Year’s Day to arrive. Forget the big New Year’s Eve bash, we just want to watch the Silver and Black defeat the San Diego Chargers, while the Kansas City Chiefs blow out the crumbling Denver Broncos on January 1, 2012.

There are still three more days before we find out how this will play out, and the closer we get the stronger my belief becomes that we’ll get our wish.

First, let’s look at the scenario in Denver. Even though Kansas City isn’t playing for a playoff berth, they have strong reasons for wanting a victory at Sports Authority Field. The Chiefs’ quarterback Kyle Orton is returning to play against the team that dumped him for Tebow, and that’s has to sting more than a little.

Orton is out to prove that Denver made a big mistake in thinking that Tebow was their savior. The Broncos were lucky in more than a few of their wins with the young quarterback at the helm, but he’s started to crumble quickly. Denver was stomped in their last two losses, 40-14 by the Buffalo Bills and 41-23 by the New England Patriots. On top of that, their players have really taken a beating, and they’re dealing with a lot of injuries.

The Chiefs’ interim coach, Romeo Crennel, needs the win to save his job, and even Orton may not keep his in 2012 if the team doesn’t do well in Denver. That’s quite a bit of motivation. Is it enough for Kansas City to get the victory? I believe it is.

The biggest concern for the Raiders, of course, is their game against the Chargers. While the team has been inconsistent this year to say the least, they’ve were able to beat San Diego on the road, and won both of their games against the Chargers in 2010.

The Silver and Black will be on fire for this one. The players showed they have heart in the game on Christmas Eve, and they were also extremely resilient. Quarterback Carson Palmer does well against San Diego, and potentially having two exceptional receivers on the field in Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford, could turn this game into a high scoring offensive show for the Raiders.

Palmer commented on Wednesday, “So this is a big moment for this team and our fans and the fact that we get to play at home is obviously a huge advantage any time we get to play in front of our fans in that stadium because they can be so loud. So it’s exciting, this whole team’s excited.”

After so many years without the hope of even being in the playoffs, the Silver and Black have given us an exciting 2011, and the team could take their season farther than we even thought was possible. Just believe.

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett . Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter or on Twitter @kcdermody.

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders’ Jacoby Ford Back at Practice: Who Will Return to Face the Chargers? Fan’s Look

Three Oakland Raiders Selected to the Pro Bowl: Fan reaction

Oakland Raiders’ Janikowski Nominated for Never Say Never Moment: Fan’s Look

Oakland Raiders Give Fans the Best Christmas Present: A Defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs – Fan’s Take

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The Kansas City Chiefs close out the 2011 NFL season with a trip to Colorado to take on the Denver Broncos. Here are five things to watch for as the Chiefs battle the Broncos.

Kyle Orton Versus Old Team

Kyle Orton was let go by the Broncos in late November. The Chiefs picked him up to stand in for injured Matt Cassel. Orton had two decent games against the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders. If he has the same type of game against his old mates, it will be a long day for Denver. It will help that Orton should have some kind of working knowledge of the Broncos’ defense.

Tim Tebow Versus Chiefs’ Defense

In the first game between the Chiefs and Broncos back on Nov. 13, quarterback Tim Tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for another. He completed just two passes all game long and had 43 yards rushing. Surely the Chiefs would know how to handle the offense by now. Shut down the running game of Denver and then let the vaunted secondary take over after that and the Chiefs will win.

Head Coaches

Interim head coach Romeo Crennel is trying to prove he’s head coaching material. John Fox is trying to avoid another late-season disappointment for the Broncos. Despite not making the playoffs just a year after winning the AFC West, the Chiefs can spoil the postseason hopes of Denver.

Ryan Succop

Placekicker Ryan Succop had a miserable game against the Oakland Raiders Dec. 24. He had two kicks blocked that could have won the game. In the thinner air of Denver, a kicker’s dream exists. Earlier in the season, Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders tied an NFL record with a 63-yard kick way back on Sept. 12 in Denver. Succop needs to have a good game in the thinner air to regain his confidence.

Momentum

A win for the Chiefs will give them momentum going into the offseason and a positive vibe with the draft and in the front office. With all of the major players coming back next year from their injuries, a season-ending victory may help nudge the team along as they start workouts for next season.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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For nearly three seasons, there has been little question about David Bruton’s primary role with the Broncos.

He was the special-teams guy, a crucial member of every coverage and return unit. But his role on defense at safety was limited.

He played behind veterans such as Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill in 2009 and 2010 and behind rookies Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore this season.

“It’s definitely tough to get into a rhythm when you’re constantly a backup or looked over. You just have to keep your head down and keep preparing,” Bruton said. “If I get the chance to be in the flow of the game, I feel like it will not only bode well for myself, but also for the team.”

Should a neck injury again keep Dawkins sidelined

in the regular-season finale Sunday against Kansas City, Bruton could make the fourth start of his NFL career. Bruton replaced Dawkins at strong safety for the final three quarters of last week’s game against Buffalo.

“I made some assignment mistakes, a missed tackle in the first seven or eight plays I played,” Bruton said. “But once I settled in … I’m not going to say it was perfect, but everything went a lot smoother and I felt a lot more confident. It was like when I was back in college.”

Dawkins was the only Denver player held out of practice Wednesday, though he was on the field watching his teammates. Bruton, who has dealt with calf and Achilles tendon issues the past few weeks, was limited — as was cornerback Chris Harris (neck).

Carter, who left the Buffalo game because of a bruised lower back, was a full participant at practice.

Party pooper. Kansas City interim coach Romeo Crennel said on a conference call with Denver-area reporters that he won’t allow his players to talk about a duel between Chiefs quarterback Kyle Orton and the Broncos’ Tim Tebow.

“I told my team this morning that it’s not Kyle versus the Broncos and not Kyle versus Tebow,” Crennel said. “It’s the Chiefs versus the Broncos, our team versus their team. That’s how it’s going to play out.”

Pro Bowl approval. Broncos coach John Fox said each of his team’s Pro Bowl selections — cornerback Champ Bailey, outside linebacker Von Miller and defensive end Elvis Dumervil — deserved the honor.

“As a coach, you’re a little bit prejudiced. You always feel like you want more for them,” Fox said. “But all in all, for where we are in the season, I think it was pretty good (representation).”

Offensive tackle Ryan Clady, a first alternate at his position, likely will be going to the Pro Bowl too because Miami put Jake Long on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday.

Footnotes. The NFL changed a Tebow interception against Buffalo to a fumble, ruling that the ball was swatted from Tebow’s hand before he started to throw. The ball was caught by the Bills’ Spencer Johnson, who scored on a 17-yard return. … The Broncos made moves on their practice squad, signing tight end Cornelius Ingram and waiving fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou. Tebow and Ingram, a fifth-round draft pick by Philadelphia in 2009, were college teammates at Florida.

Englewood, Colo. • The Denver Broncos might have to face former quarterback Kyle Orton with two backup safeties if Brian Dawkins and Quinton Carter can’t play in Sunday’s showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs, who are trying to deny Tim Tebow a trip to the playoffs.

Although Carter (hip) participated in the entire two-hour workout Wednesday, Dawkins was held out of the team’s final full-padded practice of the regular season because of a neck injury that has bothered him for much of the month.

Dawkins didn’t address his availability for Sunday but did dismiss speculation that the injury threatens his stellar 16-year career that includes eight Pro Bowls.

Carter wasn’t available during the locker room access period.

Dawkins, Carter and nickel cornerback Chris Harris (neck), who leads all rookie defensive backs with 62 tackles, all were knocked out of last week’s loss at Buffalo.

“I’ll definitely be ready to play this week,” said Harris, who was limited at Wednesday’s workout. “The body feels like everybody else’s does in the NFL at this time of the season but you’ve just got to fight through it and play your game.”

If Dawkins can’t play Sunday, David Bruton would start at strong safety even though he was limited at practice because of a nagging Achilles injury.

If Carter is out, fellow rookie Raheem Moore, who began the season as the starter but was demoted for his poor tackling technique, would get the nod at free safety.

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Facing backups in the secondary would seemingly be a big break for Orton, whom the Chiefs claimed off waivers last month when the Broncos jettisoned their former starter.

“Well, what we look at and what we talk about during the week is we assume everybody is playing,” Chiefs interim coach Romeo Crennel said, “and if somebody doesn’t play, I don’t think that we can ever say, ‘OK, that’s great,’ or anything like that because I know that in the NFL, the guy who steps in is a good player. So, you never underestimate your opponent.”

Still, there’s no denying the drop-off.

Aside from his unparalleled leadership and his knack for deciphering offenses, Dawkins has 51 stops and three sacks and Carter has 46 tackles and a sack.

Bruton has just eight tackles, five of which came last week after Dawkins went down, and Moore has recorded 13 tackles in the last three games after being a healthy scratch against Minnesota on Dec. 4., which followed a month without a single tackle.

“You know what, everybody has to believe and everybody has to stay ready. That’s all you can do,” Moore said. “Get healthy, stay ready. It’s not going to be easy. It’s been a tough season. And that’s why you have to stay ready and believe and when it’s all said and done, whoever’s out there has to make some plays and do what he can to help this team conquer.”

Publicly at least, the Broncos are de-emphasizing Orton’s return to Denver, saying that clinching the AFC West and making the playoffs for the first time in six seasons is their chief mission.

“Even if Orton wasn’t playing on that team, it would still be a big game,” Harris said. “We all know this is a big opportunity for us to go to the playoffs. We’ve got a chance to do something that we haven’t been done here in a long time.”

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